SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - After months of planning, the Yk Seniors Society will be giving away a $15,000 diamond, a return trip for two to Edmonton, and a 55-inch TV among other nine other prizes in a draw this afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Baker Community Centre.

Albert Eggenberger, left, and James Clark of the Yk Seniors Society stand at the Baker Centre on Dec. 29 with a drum full of tickets for today's raffle draw. - James McCarthy/NNSL photo

As of Dec. 29, 3,100 of the 5,000 available tickets have been sold.

Albert Eggenberger is the project leader for this year's draw, the fourth the society has put on, and said it was the work of David Wind four years ago that started what has become the biggest fundraising project for the society. If things stay where they are, the society will have raised $31,000, some of which will go toward supporting the programs currently offered by the Baker Community Centre and the rest into a fund to help in building a possible extension of the centre.

Eggenberger said one thing they would like to work on expanding is the weekly "Lunch with the Bunch" program every Friday.

"It's the most famous thing we have going and we run out of seats from time to time," he said. "We're looking at what we can do to make more room."

There are 92 places up for grabs at any one time for the lunch, but the society has nearly 400 members, according to James Clark, the fundraising committee chairperson. He said the hall at the centre, as it is, is just too small.

"We need an expansion here," he said. "There are more people staying in Yellowknife than ever before who are aged, which is starting to show. I can remember 30 or 35 people coming out, but it's full now, so we have to expand."

If and when that expansion would happen is still up in the air right now, Clark added.

One of the bonuses the society has is every prize in the raffle has been donated, meaning the society won't be out of pocket and every penny will stay in the society's coffers, minus the licence fee paid to the city to host the raffle.

Eggenberger said tickets will be sold right up until about five minutes before the draw takes place.

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